[i]"'Rules of Engagement in Proximity of Civilians: avoid engaging with force if at all possible, use only powers that can be applied without collateral damage, do not escalate, stop any escalation, and neutralize risks to civilians as quickly as possible.' That's in the handbook, but if you ask me, those should be more guidelines than rules. Villains don't play by a handbook, whereas we hamstring ourselves and do them a favor every time there's a fight with civvies nearby. And any time there's a fight between capes and cowls, there's almost always civvies nearby. I've seen good Leaguers get hurt or worse because they can't use all the tools at their disposal to put down a threat. Truth is, we're fighting a war. And fighting a war means defeating the enemy. And if that means a little collateral damage, so be it. [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4irXQhgMqg]We need to start thinking more like soldiers and less like boy scouts."[/url] [/i] - [b]Anonymous Leaguer speculated to be Magog, excerpt from Iris West's [i]Born in the Cape: The New Breed of Hero[/i][/b]

[center][b][color=gold][sup][h1]ARGONAUT[/h1][/sup][/color][/b][/center]
[COLOR=gold][INDENT][B][SUP][SUB][H3]Bangkok, Thailand[/H3][/SUB][/SUP][/B][/INDENT][hr][/COLOR][INDENT][INDENT][sup][color=darkgray]January 2[sup]st[/sup], 2052  |  12:10am  |  Government House of Thailand[/color][/sup][/INDENT][/INDENT]

The armored battalion guarding the parliament building was now only so much scrap metal and viscera. Argonaut surveyed the carnage, scanning for any possible threats. One foolishly brave man ran out with an assault rifle, empty of any ammunition, wielding it like a club. The sight was so ludicrous that Argonaut laughed out loud, his voice booming through the warsuit's speakers in a deep, metallic chuckle as he grabbed the man's head. He kept laughing as he melted the Thai soldier's face with his solar projector, chuckling as the man screamed and wailed, flesh and blood running down his blackened skull like candle wax. Eventually he stopped screaming and Argonaut crushed the skull into ash. Argonaut shook his head, letting his suit's onboard cleanser wipe the tears from his eyes, [color=gold] "Someone make a note of that man's bravery."[/color] 

Argonaut turned his attention back to the parliament building, scanning the structure and seeing several different markers on the scope. Cheshire's team, Gunsmith and his squad, and Vortex. Argonaut ground his teeth on seeing that that rube had broken through. Argonaut would be damned if he handed that simpleton anymore money than he actually deserved. It seemed as if Cheshire had taken down most of the defenses, and any remaining resistance was primarily focused on Vortex. The rebels could take it from here. He'd leave the burning and pillaging to the villagers. He had a king to kill. 

Argonaut rocketed to the Parliament building, raising Sin Tzu on the comms as he did, [color=gold] "My Legionnaires have infiltrated Parliament. We'll have the Regent's head on a spike within minutes." [/color] The light accented, but cultured tone of Sin Tzu filtered back, "Excellent. The government most likely evacuated the boy king when the violence started. And the throne is empty. The palace's defenses are holding stubbornly for the moment. But once the Regent falls, all resistance will crumble. And Thailand will be mine. Sin Tzu out." 

Just then another voice chimed in his ears. The soft silky tone of Lexos filtered through the helmet's speakers, [color=green] "Argonaut. Our spy satellites were tracking Intergang's movements through the campaign area. They have not joined the assaults on any of the major cities. Instead they're assaulting one of the poppy fields in Tak Province, one of the largest in the Golden Triangle."[/color] 

[color=gold] "Does Sin Tzu know? Does China White?" [/color] The China White Triad had worked out a deal with Sin Tzu to host one of their narcotic production operations in his demesnes. With those fields and the ports under their control, they could control more of the distribution of Metadrugs throughout the Pacific. Venom and Miralco were good products and good army builders, but KT-28 or Katie, was one of the more popular drugs on the street since the markets in heroin and crack cocaine had waned. The synth drug didn't bestow any special abilities on users, but it did reduce inhibitions and increase aggressive behavior. Acting out on one's basest desires induced a potent euphoria, literally encouraging as much debasement and depravity as possible. China White had intended to flood Asia with Katie and make millions upon millions. But it seemed that Angela Manheim had other plans. 

[color=green] "Negative. There has been no communication from either Sin Tzu's or China White's lines to Intergang."[/color] 

[color=gold] "That addict wants her own personal supply. Well I'm not dealing with that know. Let Sin Tzu and China White take their concerns to the Council once this is done. Ms. Barbie is on her own. Maybe we'll get lucky and there will be an open spot in the Legion once this is done."[/color]

Argonaut disconnected from Lexos, sighed. For all his strategic brilliance, Sin Tzu was rather narrow-minded. He had made an army out of a ragtag group of rebels. But all he wanted was the rulership of a third-world nation, a crown he thought was rightfully his. He had no true vision. Neither did China White, who was focused on profit and dominance in the criminal underworld and nothing else. And Angela Mannheim most certainly did not have vision. Using all her advanced technology to engage in petty rackets. Advancing a puerile religion to the point of fanaticism. No, these criminals may have been dangerous, useful even, but they lacked true perspective. That was why they needed the Luthors. The rabble needed vision. 

Argonaut streaked in to the Parliament building, blasting through a wall and several defenders with his solar cannon and casually working his way to the elevator. With the defenses down, it was even more childishly easy than it would have been otherwise. After a few minutes, Argonaut was at the elevator with Gunsmith's and Chesire's teams. He nodded to both of them. They were tools, but competent and professional. He could work with them, [color=gold] "Good work. Our compatriots have the army busy. Sin Tzu has the royal palace under siege. It's time to finish the job." [/color] 

Argonaut's sensors bleeped frantically, there was a subtle crackle in the atmosphere, his hairs stood on end, and within a blink of an eye a blue armored figure stood in their midst. The armor seemed skin-tight, showing off the musculature of an Olympic sprinter, with silver lightning bolts accented throughout. They would have resembled any archetypal speedster were it not for the metallic horns in place of lightning bolts for pinions, or for the silver visor etched with a grinning demonic face in place of the usual half-mask. Or the splashes of blood painting the armor throughout. Argonaut dipped his head, [color=gold] "Johnny Quick. A pleasure to have you with us." [/color] 

The infamous killer shook his head, [color=steelblue] "I left the hero life long ago, Argonaut. It's Speed Demon now. Don't forget it. Or I'll have to leave you an unpleasant reminder. Well, unpleasant for you at any rate." [/color]

Argonaut smirked, hidden by his own helmet, glad his provocation hit the mark, [color=gold] "Duly noted. But you'll get your fair share of blood, Allen. The Junta will make a last push to rescue their General. I need you to clear out the building of threats and cover our six. You'll be our backup if we meet heavier resistance down in the bunker." [/color] 

Speed Demon tilted his head, crossed his arms, [color=steelblue] "I could kill you quicker than you could blink and you put me on babysitting duty? I should just get in there and take out that general myself." [/color] 

Argonaut arched his brow, though the other man couldn't see, and said,[color=gold] "You could. But this isn't your operation. It's mine. You do what I say. If you disagree, run back to the Fortress and complain. Shouldn't take too long for you. Or you can cover our rear and get your chance to slaughter scores. Besides, we don't know if they have any anti-speedster countermeasures down there and you can do a job that would otherwise take a whole battalion. I'd say you're singularly suited to the job." [/color] 

The metahuman stared him down for a long moment. Argonaut didn't break his gaze. Finally he chuckled, [color=steelblue] "You have some brass balls, Luthor. I'll give you that. Fine. I'll cover your asses. And I'll pull you from the fire when you get in trouble." [/color] 

Argonaut nodded, gestured to the others and boarded the elevator, easily hacking into the "secure" panel and sending them on their descent. Vortex might catch up if he was able, but Argonaut was definitely not waiting. The elevator was enough to hold the entire group and then some, and the journey was swift. Soon the Legionaries found themselves in a narrow hallway leading to a strong steel door. 

Turrets would surely have popped down to fill the hall with lead, but Cheshire had already deactivated automated security. All that was left were some riflemen. They fell easily. The door took slightly longer, but within moments they had breached the General's safe room. They encountered a large spacious chamber with various monitors displaying strategic and tactical information. Scores of armed guards and aides were in evidence, along with a spattering of lesser dignitaries and officers. General Nibun Jivacate, a middle-aged man with a strong build, was barking orders with a slightly panicked tone. 

A column of men appeared with grenade launchers and light machine guns and began firing. Argonaut stood his ground and let the salvo wash over his energy barriers. His shields were half-drained, but none of it had even touched the armor. As the men paused to reload, Argonaut strafed them with a solar beam, bisecting many and shearing off limbs. There was a shout and an abnormally large man in military fatigues leaped over the various desks at Argonaut. A metahuman strongman no doubt. Argonaut rocketed to meet him in the air and caught him in the stomach, slamming the meta into the nearby wall. 

As the two clashed, more guards arrived, getting into position to fire. These men were better equipped, all of them wearing personal combat exo-skeletons that enhanced their strength and agility. Some of them touted miniguns and flamethrowers. Next to the general, a half-dozen lightly armored warriors leapt onto the consoles near him and drew mono-molecular swords. The League of Shadows had trained countless acrobatic ninja-like killers over the years, and not all of their disciples had remained loyal to their utopian ideals. It was clear that these were heretics from the order of a more mercenary bent than their former compatriots. Four of them shimmered out of view, tactical cloaking concealing them from view as they doubtlessly made their way to engage the Legion. The the final two began ushering the General further to the rear of the chamber. More and more guards began pouring in, lowly technicians and aides even drawing sidearms to defend their leader as another meta came into view. The woman's mouth opened wide, and she breathed in deeply, obviously preparing to let loose some fiery breath or sonic screech at the Legion. This was the Junta's last desperate gasp. And the Legion needed to break them. 

[center][b][color=darkviolet][sup][h1]PERSEUS[/h1][/sup][/color][/b][/center]
[COLOR=darkviolet][INDENT][B][SUP][SUB][H3]Chihuahuan Desert, Mexico[/H3][/SUB][/SUP][/B][/INDENT][hr][/COLOR][INDENT][INDENT][sup][color=darkgray]January 1[sup]st[/sup], 2052  |  5:50pm  |  Miralco Lab[/color][/sup][/INDENT][/INDENT]

Perseus wrenched his spear from the heart of another Venom soldier, as Therma and Toxin both fell in beside him. Before he could say anything in response, there was a mighty explosion. With all the fire that Therma had been expending, one of the Venom vats exploded in a volatile chemical geyser that engulfed some of the Legion soldiers. They screamed as their skin sloughed off their flesh as if they were hit by acid. The explosion ignited even more vats, Miralco and Venom alike, and the cascade of ignitions turned the lab into a riot of electrical fires as expensive monitoring equipment caught aflame and bullets still raced through the air. 

With panicked civilians caught in the crossfire. Free from the confines of their cages but thrust into a battle, most of the civilians panicked. Some ran run into hail of bullets while fleeing the fires, or were blown through the air by an explosion they didn't see coming. Many more huddled in fear as the fires spread, along with those left still in cages watching the incoming inferno press toward them. There were more than a hundred innocents now in mortal danger. Alongside them, the scientists and lab technicians also suffered much the same, some of them vainly trying to put out the fires while most either died in the chaos or scrambled for escape. 

One unstable meta released by Toxin clutched at their eyes, screaming as lasers spilled from their gaze and lanced through the room, only adding to the utter chaos. The Peacekeepers had to cease firing so as not to accidentally hit the civilians in their sights. By now all the Venom soldiers were dead or crippled too much for even their drug to keep them moving. Half of the riflemen had been wiped out, or were now scrambling to escape the blaze. Green Lantern quickly took down one of the exo-suits, overpowering it with his ring while Green Arrow bounced an electric arrow off of a wall and hit the man's partner in the achilles heel, immobilizing the other suit. 

Robert began pulling out foam arrows, firing them rapidly into the flames, [color=green] "Al. It's getting a bit crispy in here for my tastes." [/color] Smoke started filling the room, obscuring most of the battle and making it difficult to breath. Perseus' helmet filtered it all out, his visor allowing him to cut through the miasma. But the others might not be so lucky. 

Perseus was about to respond as his alarms flashed wildly and another uninvited metahuman materialized. The Peacekeeper squad had reported a speed force anomaly approaching, and it seemed this one was bloodied from helping put down several guards. Perseus had no idea who this person was and no patience for yet another unwanted interloper, as helpful as they may be. 

[color=darkviolet] [i] Children. I am surrounded by costumed children.[/i] [/color] 

Perseus glared at Therma, [color=darkviolet] "It appears you did get a little carried away. But we'll discuss this later. Now we have civilians to save. Toxin, knock out the rampant metas and collect them for evacuation. Peacekeepers, start shepherding civilians out of here. Therma, keep a lid on these fires. Speedster, you stay right here and-" [/color] 

The radio cut in as one of the sentries he had left behind shouted over automatic fire, "Sir, the Federal Police are shooting at us! 20+ hostiles. They got us pinned down and surrounded. I have two men down. They've got turrets, exfil through this egress is currently a no-go! I hear more gun trucks incoming, VTOLs! Our comms are being jammed! Javelin can't hear us!" 

Perseus cursed. He knew he shouldn't have clued in the Mexican officials. The government was rotten to the core, and the Legion had hands everywhere. No doubt their informants in the Federales had tipped them off to the JLU raid. They didn't have enough advance warning to scrub their operations, Perseus had only told the Mexicans at the last possible moment. But they certainly had time to prepare. The Federal Police couldn't have tech to dampen the JLU's comms. It was clear the Legion was also responsible for that. The question was why the team hadn't met stiff resistance until now. They could have ambushed them early on. What else were they planning? What was the purpose of this trap? Perseus couldn't think about that now. He'd sort that out later when they weren't all in danger of burning to death. 

Perseus grabbed the Speedster by the collar, [color=darkviolet] "You! Get out there and secure my evac. Take out those corrupt cops and start evacuating civilians once you're done. Move it! Sergeant, you dig in and hold the line! Detonate those mines and reactivate those mechs on our side! I'm sending you help. Put out a flare for the Javelin!" [/color] Perseus watched as Vigilante clashed with Bloodsport. The Legionary had dumped his overheated rifle, pulled out a machete and a pair of steel knuckles, and lashed out savagely and ruthlessly at the Leaguer with everything he had. The Legionary was ex-black ops, trained to kill, and was now doing his very best to end Vigilante, seemingly heedless of the fires. He slashed and stabbed and punched and kicked at the Leaguer, and the pair traded blows and dodged as the lab kept burning around them. 

And as Perseus watched, one of the scientists peeled off, deliberately heading over to a secluded corner and tapping his hand against a scanner. A hidden door opened and Perseus' visor caught a quick scan of his face. Roland Desmond. Blockbuster. He could turn into a mutant strongman but also possessed a genius intelligence. It made sense that the Legion would send him here in their experiments with metadrugs and the metagene. And that he had an escape tunnel. 

No doubt that Federal Police were meant to cover his escape while he bolted with all the intel that Perseus needed. Desmond disappeared into the tunnel as hidden compartments in the wall opened. Bipedal mechs with machine guns in place of hands marched out, firing indiscriminately at foe and ally alike, adding even more to the calamity. The mechs weren't very tough. Any soldier worth his salt was worth ten of them. But there were many and they paid no heed to the danger. Mindlessly shooting as they advanced. Blockbuster intended to use the chaos to make a getaway. To hell with that. 

[color=darkviolet] "Vig! Finish up with that blowhard! I need him alive!" [/color] Perseus looked at GL. At Nova. He still didn't completely trust her, but he had little choice. He needed backup if he wanted to face Blockbuster but GL was much more useful in evacuating the civilians and protecting them from the enemies that still remained. 

[color=darkviolet] "GL, evacuate civvies and cover the escape! Elevator will be too slow. I need to lift everyone up above when you get to the shaft. Vortex, with me! We're going after that bastard." [/color] 

Perseus ran into the fire, shield activated to deflect the mech's automatic fire from him as he slashed and stabbed his way through the metallic throng to Blockbuster's tunnel. He trusted in his team to get the civilians to safety. But he would be damned if he'd let Desmond get away. Without even looking to see if Nova had followed, Perseus plunged into the darkness of the spacious tunnel and ran after the mad scientist. 

Desmond may have been a genius, but he couldn't outrun Perseus in human form. The Leaguer saw the scientist, sprinting for a hoverbike waiting nearby. Perseus, without breaking stride, let loose his spear and lanced it through the hoverbike's propulsion system. Then he dove at Desmond and caught him in a tackle. Perseus wrapped his fingers around Desmond's neck, pressing on his throat to choke him out when suddenly a bullet whizzed by Perseus' ear. Perseus threw up his shield as two mechs advanced with guns raised. Perseus threw out his shield, chopping off one of their heads, then followed up with a knife that stabbed through the other's CPU. In the tussle, his grip had lightened around Desmond's neck. 

Suddenly, Desmond flailed beneath him and Perseus jumped off, as Blockbuster now laid where Desmond had been. The scientist had grown to over eight feet tall and was built like a tank. Perseus dodged under one of Blockbuster's inhumanly large fists, and took out two more knives. Perseus stared down his enemy, who was blocking him from retrieving his shield and spear. Blockbuster roared, the sound deafening in the tunnel and he punched out. Perseus side-stepped the blow and slashed his knife along Blockbuster's wrist. A thin cut appeared in the thick skin and Blockbuster wailed in annoyance more than pain. Perseus would have to keep at the thousand cuts strategy for now. If he didn't care about gaining intel, Perseus could have stabbed Blockbuster in the eye and have done with it. But he needed the scientist alive to relate whatever information he had. But he had neither of his main weapons and minimal backup to do it. 

If backup arrived, and Nova wasn't going to take this chance to kill him. Well, there was no helping that now. Perseus had been in bigger messes. He always figured it out eventually. Perseus dodged another punch, but was was backhanded by the fist, shoving him into the wall of the tunnel. Blockbuster roared and advanced. 

Perseus knew he had been in worse situations, but he couldn't quite come up with any other examples at the moment.